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Gov. McCrory defends House Bill 2 in May statement

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North Carolina’s legislature passed a law that prevents transgender people from using government-run bathrooms corresponding to the gender with which they identify. The law — House Bill 2 (HB2) — has incited a state-wide civil liberties battle. Here is the timeline of the so-called "bathroom bill."
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NC Gov. Pat McCrory: "I have listened to the people of North Carolina"

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In May, N.C. Governor Pat McCrory read a six-minute statement to state and national news media at the Executive Mansion defending House Bill 2. He also called on Congress to also clarify what he said were uncertainties about who is protected under the federal Civil Rights Act. McCrory filed a lawsuit in federal court in North Carolina on Monday morning asking a judge to declare that the controversial House Bill 2 is not illegally discriminatory.
Travis Longtlong@newsobserver.com

McCrory enters Trump Tower for meeting with Donald Trump

Gov. McCrory defends House Bill 2 in May statement

Trump thanks supporters at Fayetteville rally

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Gov. Pat McCrory speaks about the implications of the U.S. Justice Department's finding regarding North Carolina’s House Bill 2 on Wednesday, May 4, 2016 at the North Carolina Museum of History. The department says the law violates the U.S. Civil Rights Act and Title IX – a finding that could jeopardize billions in federal education funding.
Travis Longtlong@newsobserver.com

Governor Pat McCrory speaks with the pastor of St. Mark Church of Christ Alton A. Smith on a tour of flooding in Goldsboro, N.C. caused by Hurricane Matthew, Thursday, Oct. 13.
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Three days after Gov. Pat McCrory signed House Bill 2, his general counsel told a former legal colleague that the governor battled the legislature over the bill that limited protections for LGBT individuals, according to emails obtained by the Observer.

“Bob, here are the facts: We fought against this bill,” Bob Stephens said in a March 26 email to Bob Turner, a lawyer in Charlotte. “You have no idea how hard the Governor worked to limit it. He told the legislature that it went too far. We lobbied against it and even drafted our own version of the bill but it was not accepted.”

Stephens’ comments contrast with McCrory’s defense of the measure in recent months, even in the face of major sports boycotts of the state.

In his email, Stephens said the governor’s office talked to a “large number of legislators,” but they passed the bill anyway.

“And don’t tell me the Governor should have vetoed the bill,” Stephens wrote. “His veto would have been overridden in a matter of days and we’d be right where we are now. If you have other ideas about what the Governor should have done, let me know.”

McCrory signed HB2 into law in March to nullify a Charlotte ordinance, which had generated controversy by protecting transgender people who use public restrooms based on their gender identity. HB2 also overrode local ordinances around the state that would have expanded protections for the LGBT community.

HB2 has spurred corporations to call off expansion projects, sports conferences to pull games and entertainers to cancel performances. The law has also become a major issue in McCrory’s re-election bid against Democrat Roy Cooper, with McCrory standing behind the legislation and saying critics are playing politics.

Stephens took a leave of absence in 2013 from Charlotte law firm Stephens Hamilton Stephens Steele + Martin to serve as McCrory’s chief legal counsel.

The email exchange began when Turner, who had previously worked with Stephens at the Horack Talley law firm, sent an email to the governor’s office earlier that day criticizing HB2.

“I’m a Republican but you have completely lost my confidence,” Turner wrote. “Ask Bob Stephens my (former) law partner. You have caved to right wing, actually, redneck types. Guess how much this will make our state be affected by loss of jobs and events bringing money to the communities. Sow what you reap. You have put your political future over the state interest I feel sorry for your (sic).”

In his response, Stephens said if Turner disagreed with the bill, he should contact legislators Bob Rucho, Dan Bishop, Phil Berger or others.

McCrory enters Trump Tower for meeting with Donald Trump

Trump thanks supporters at Fayetteville rally

Trump's White House

Share Video

In May, N.C. Governor Pat McCrory read a six-minute statement to state and national news media at the Executive Mansion defending House Bill 2. He also called on Congress to also clarify what he said were uncertainties about who is protected under the fed

Gov. McCrory defends House Bill 2 in May statement

Trump thanks supporters at Fayetteville rally

Share Video

North Carolina’s legislature passed a law that prevents transgender people from using government-run bathrooms corresponding to the gender with which they identify. The law — House Bill 2 (HB2) — has incited a state-wide civil liberties battle. Here is th

Gov. McCrory defends House Bill 2 in May statement

Trump thanks supporters at Fayetteville rally

Share Video

Gov. Pat McCrory speaks about the implications of the U.S. Justice Department's finding regarding North Carolina’s House Bill 2 on Wednesday, May 4, 2016 at the North Carolina Museum of History. The department says the law violates the U.S. Civil Rights A